Arsenal had wanted him to take over in January and made a formal approach to the Brazilian Football Confederation, but Edu reiterated his commitment to the national team.

The former midfielder joined Arsenal from Corinthians in 2001 and was part of the Invincibles team that went 49 games unbeaten, scoring twice in that run.

Edu maintained a close relationship with Arsenal while working at Corinthians and Brazil (Getty)

Arsenal want a sporting director to work alongside director of football Raul Sanllehi with the remit of influencing coaching practices and academy intake, though Mislintat felt it would dilute his influence even more.

The German talent spotter has been constrained by Arsenal’s unwillingness to spend money in January, while loan moves for Denis Suarez and Ever Banega have been pursued by Unai Emery rather than Mislintat.